Are you interested in owning your own home?

If so, please attend one of our Family Selection Information Sessions for further details.

Family Selection Information Sessions are held approximately once a year at a number of locations close to the proposed build. Dates and time of our next session will be posted here on the web site and in your local newspapers.

Habitat Home Ownership

Building a house is an expensive business. Costs include land, materials and services. With the help of Habitat volunteers, most of the labour costs disappear. New materials are often donated and many professional trades people do not charge for their services.

People you never see on a build will be helping families get into their own homes. Some of these people are fundraisers while others volunteer at the ReStore, on committees, in the office or at public functions where they promote Habitat for Humanity to churches, businesses, community organizations and service clubs.

Habitat for Humanity is a global, non-profit organization that is guided by Christian values. It works with low income families to build simple, decent, affordable single and multi-unit houses that are sold to Habitat families with no down payment and a no-interest mortgage.

Habitat is not a give-away program. Families must contribute a minimum of 500 hours of “sweat equity” and must help build their own house as well as houses for others.

Mortgage Information

When a family moves into their house, regular monthly payments must be made on the mortgage. Habitat for Humanity Seaway Valley holds the mortgage and offers it to the homeowners at no interest.

Mortgage payments will be 25% of the family’s pre-tax income. Property taxes are included in the mortgage payment.

Mortgage payments are adjusted yearly per line 150 of your income tax return.

Only families who have attended an information session are eligible to apply for Habitat home ownership!

Who Can Apply?

We welcome your application if:

You have children that will benefit from a simple, decent, affordable home

Your family has a steady income, but is not able to obtain a conventional mortgage.

Your total family income, before deductions, is more than $20,000 but less than the Low Income Cut Offs (LICO) as required by Revenue Canada. (SEE CHART BELOW)

Your present housing does not meet your family’s needs (for example, overcrowding, structural defects, dangerous conditions in the home or in the neighbourhood, etc.)

You are willing to work at least 500 hours of “sweat equity” (for example, building, office work, ReStore shifts, participation in our partner family orientation modules)

Adding a mortgage to your present debt would not put your family in jeopardy

You are a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, you have lived in Stormont, Dundas or Glengarry for at least two years, you are prepared to be a good neighbour and a responsible member of the community.

You are willing to accept all the responsibilities of home ownership including utilities, maintenance, and other common homeowner expenses

You are able to provide references from police, employers, banks and people outside your family.

You are managing your debt in a responsible way. In the case of a prior bankruptcy, it must have been discharged at least two years prior to your application.

Based on 2016 LICO numbers: minimum earned income $20,000

No. of people in your family

Total family earned income

No. of people in your family

Total family earned income

2

27,849

6

53,175

3

34,238

7+

59,202

4

41,570

5

47,146

How Can I Apply?

Attend one of the new Family Applicant Information meetings.

Complete the pre-application package you receive at the meeting.

Drop off your pre-application at the Habitat for Humanity Offices, 17335 Myers Road in Bonville.

What Happens Next?

You will be notified of the outcome of your pre-application for a Habitat home.

If eligible, an Application for Housing will be sent to you. If you need assistance completing the application, help is available at the Habitat for Humanity office by calling 613-938-0413 ext.206 or emailing joanne@habitatseawayvalley.org . You will drop off your application at this location.

When your application is complete, your file will be referred to the Family Selection Committee.

If all criteria are met, a member of the Family Selection Committee will contact you to set up an in-home interview.

After the first interview, the Family Selection Committee will meet to discuss the family applicants.

The Family Selection Committee will make its recommendation(s) to the Board of Directors, who will make the final decision about selecting from the eligible families.

Note: The selection process can take from three to six months.

What will you gain from this experience?

You will have the satisfaction of buying a home of your own.

You will have an interest-free mortgage which costs much less than a traditional bank mortgage.

You will develop maintenance skills learned through your sweat equity.

You will have pride in helping other families by contributing sweat equity on other homes during/or after your build.

You will get a sense of community from working with other volunteers.

Your children will benefit from many of the opportunities home ownership provides and learn by your example about working hard to capture a dream.

You will build equity in your home that may help to fund pos-tsecondary education for your children or a better retirement for you.

What does Habitat expect of Partner Families?

You will complete 500 hours of sweat equity building your home or other Habitat homes before moving into your house.

You will help publicize your house before and after it is built. Publicity is important because it helps bring in new volunteers and money for more Habitat houses so more families can be helped.

You will attend classes that will help you prepare for the responsibilities of home ownership.

You will maintain positive relationships with volunteers and donors, community members and your neighbours as a Habitat homeowner.

You will make regular monthly payments on your mortgage.

You will disclose your income to Habitat on an annual basis. Mortgage payments are adjusted yearly per line 150 of your income tax return.